Police warn drivers to watch out as new speed limits come into force

THOUSANDS of motorists will be affected by changes to speed zones on major local inner city and regional roads.

THOUSANDS of motorists will be affected by changes to speed zones on major local inner city and regional roads.

The speed limit will be reduced to ^0km/h along Gillies Street between Howitt and Sturt Streets.

Ballarat police are urging motorists to be aware of the changes, which will come into effect during this week.

Ballarat Highway Patrol Acting Senior Sergeant Stuart Gale said the changes were being rolled out by VicRoads as a result of public opinion in 2011.

“The zones are enforceable and people need to pay attention to those changes,” Acting Senior Sergeant Gale said.

“Learmonth changed yesterday and so did Waubra.

“The message from a policing perspective for drivers is to be aware of changes and be aware there will be changes in the near future.

“Excuses won’t be accepted because the signs are posted.”

Five 70km/h zones have been dropped back to 60km/h while nine have been increased to 80km/h. Meanwhile, the stretch of Daylesford-Trentham Road between Daylesford and Musk has gone from a 90km/h zone to a 100km/h zone.

Acting Senior Sergeant Gale said even a 10km/h reduction had a huge impact on the safety of roads.

But while most speed zones would be lowered under the initiative, some were set to increase.

“There’s the other side of the story where they increase,” Acting Senior Sergeant Gale said.

“This is something we’re going to have to monitor (for safety).”

Black and yellow new limit signs will be put in place on some locations where the speed is being reduced to alert motorists.

Those changes where motorists will have to cut back to 60km/h include virtually the length of Creswick Road between Webster Street out to Norman Street, Gillies Street between Sturt and Howitt Streets, Ring Road between Ballarat-Maryborough Road and McKenzie Drive, Albert Street in Sebastopol, and Winter Street in Alfredton.

The speed limit has been increased to 80km along other parts of the same thoroughfares. Creswick Road between Norman Street and the Western Highway, for example, along with Gillies Street between Sturt and Winter Street, and Ring Road between Trewin Street and Remembrance Drive.

Others include parts of the Midland Highway in Buninyong and Daylesford, the Sunraysia Highway at Learmonth and Waubra, Learmonth Street and Wiltshire Lane between the Glenelg Highway and Latrobe Street, Glenelg Highway in Delacombe between Grana Drive and Winter Creek and Myrniong-Trentham Road, Newbury.

“A key outcome (of the Victorian government’s statewide speed limit review) was to reduce the number of changes to speed limits along sections of road, making it less confusing for motorists,” VicRoads regional director Ewen Nevett said.